Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-11-25
Chapter of Plain Talk on n subject
not Often Discussed.


scheme of the Republican state COM
mittee to circulate outside Republican pa
pers during next years campaign, which
was at first very properly intended to be
private and confidential, has so far become
public matter that there can now be no
harm in abiding to it without reserve
Its details are correctly outlined in the fol-
lowing article printed in the St Johnsbury
Caledonian last week in connection with
some pungent comments by that paper
1T is no longer a secret that the Repub-
lican state committee have engaged in the
newspaper agency business The state Re
publican campaign fund furnishes the work
ing capital for the new enterprise A few
Of the Republican editors of the state have
declined to accept the proposition of the
new agency, but the majority have sue
cumbed, pretty generally on the ground
that, competing neighbors having accepted,
they must fall in or lose subscribers. SO it
turns out sort of matchmaking affair, and
somehow not at all in harmony with the
idea of protection that is so dear to the
Vermont Republican for this is not a
movement to encourage home papers, but
to Introduce foreign sheets into the state.
Here is the scheme The state com
mittee draw money from the campaign
fund and invest it in subscriptions to New
York and Boston papers of the ultra Re
publican stripe. The Vermont editor must
agree to reduce the price of his paper near
~ ~ per cent, and is then given low club
bling rates with these foreign sheets That
is, for every subscriber who takes advan-
tage of the offer, the editor practically con
tributes the amount of his discount to the
campaign fund, and the state committee
turns about and applies that money to aid
the circulation of foreign and in some de
gree competing papers. The idea is to in
troduce outside help in the campaign of 'SS.
The differences drawn are that the state
committee doubt the intelligence of the Re
publican voters of the state on the ques-
tons at issue, and that more and better
light is needed than the Republican press of
the state is furnishing-a position that tends
both to crowd out the state press and to
weaken its influence.
did space permit, we would like to dis
cuss the question from purely business
standpoint, taking the position that the pa
pers of this state are as a rule worth the
subscription price charged, without throw
ing IN any chromos or INDUCING in any
catch-penny affairs to draw new subscrib-
ers. If any are not, this sort of business
will weaken rather than strengthen them.
Again, it is not good business policy for
publishers who are already giving subscrib-
ers their moneys worth, aud who expect to
remain in the field year after year, to make
propositions this year that cannot he dupli-
Gated next.
But what we want to call special atten-
ton TO is the fact that the state committee,
by their action, are proving themselves no
friends to the local press of Vermont. They
are not only showing want of confidence
IN, but want of appreciation of, the Re
publican press of the state and we can say
this without offering any apologies, as the
Waterman ruled us out of the party long
hAce. Vermont newspapers have improv-
cd as much of late as Vermont horses OF
Vermont business industries. We have
better papers today than were published %
years ago. 1t costs more work and more
money to get them up now than it did then.
and they exert more influence in the field
where they circulate than ten times their
number of foreign papers.
The state committee, like the capitalist
who sends his money West to help boom
in that part Of the country, are using the
funds at their command to help foreign and
discourage hSme enterprise. What need Is
there for such action The dalies Of the
state are Republican 10 the backbone. The
New York Tribune can furnish no ADLER ed
itorials or none more "stalwartn than does
the Rutland Herald. The Burlington Free
Press has an editor whose ability and Re.
publicanism are unquestioned, and the st.
Adams Messenger is, perhaps, more uncom-
promising in its fidelity to party than either.
The Montpelier Waterman, clean and un
Objectionable, is ready 10 accept and sustain
ANY candidate the party presents At Brat
tleboro is the Phoenix, Independent aud ably